Nikon speedlights

Hi....Im looking to buy a speedlight for my D80.
I can get the SB-600 for £128 but will I wish i'd gone for theSB-800 at £200
.....and will it help me with my tpe of photography....eg. birds.
thanks for any input....Mike

Hi....Im looking to buy a speedlight for my D80.
I can get the SB-600 for £128 but will I wish i'd gone for theSB-800 at £200
.....and will it help me with my tpe of photography....eg. birds.

Go for the SB800. In the longer term it will give you more flexibility and options. The extras that come with it as standard (diffuser and gels) are worth having too. It will also be easier to use the SB800 with studio lighting should you wish.
Mike

Go for the SB800. In the longer term it will give you more flexibility and options. The extras that come with it as standard (diffuser and gels) are worth having too. It will also be easier to use the SB800 with studio lighting should you wish.

The 800 is a bigger more powerful gun than the 600, also it can act as a Master unit for the Nikon creative lighting system - the 600 can only act as a remote.
Once you have an 800 you then really only need to add in 600's as remotes if you want more than one gun.

The 800 is a bigger more powerful gun than the 600, also it can act as a Master unit for the Nikon creative lighting system - the 600 can only act as a remote.

Once you have an 800 you then really only need to add in 600's as remotes if you want more than one gun.

S'funny, but I've got two -600's and one -800 and to be honest, I find that I use the 600's more if I'm just shooting with a single flashgun.
Fair play, it's not as powerful as the -800, but the number of times I use my flash on full power can probably be counted on one hand. Besides which, there's not any vast difference between the two. The ability to add an additional battery doesn't bother me... AA's come in 4's - so it all makes sense. Not to mention that changing batteries when you've got that annoying 5th battery holder is attached, is a real pain in the arse.
That's without mentioning the fact that (with four batteries) the -600 recycles more quickly... I would imagine that's more important in terms of wildlife stuff?
The only edge the -800 really has is commander mode (IMHO),and that would only be relevant if you're buying more than one flash to begin with. If it were down to me, I'd buy a 2nd hand -600 which'd be less than £100 these days and buy an -800 at a later time if you need the extra functionality.

S'funny, but I've got two -600's and one -800 and to be honest, I find that I use the 600's more if I'm just shooting with a single flashgun.

Fair play, it's not as powerful as the -800, but the number of times I use my flash on full power can probably be counted on one hand. Besides which, there's not any vast difference between the two. The ability to add an additional battery doesn't bother me... AA's come in 4's - so it all makes sense. Not to mention that changing batteries when you've got that annoying 5th battery holder is attached, is a real pain in the arse.

That's without mentioning the fact that (with four batteries) the -600 recycles more quickly... I would imagine that's more important in terms of wildlife stuff?

The only edge the -800 really has is commander mode (IMHO),and that would only be relevant if you're buying more than one flash to begin with. If it were down to me, I'd buy a 2nd hand -600 which'd be less than £100 these days and buy an -800 at a later time if you need the extra functionality.

[quote]The only edge the -800 really has is commander mode (IMHO),and that would only be relevant if you're buying more than one flash to begin with.[/quote]
The D80 has inbuilt commander mode so you don't need an 800 to get this function.

Quote:The only edge the -800 really has is commander mode (IMHO),and that would only be relevant if you're buying more than one flash to begin with.

The D80 has inbuilt commander mode so you don't need an 800 to get this function.

[quote]Besides which, there's not any vast difference between the two. [/quote]
Just to confirm that from their specs, the difference in power is not huge - about half a stop (their guide numbers are 30 and 38).
The SB600 has the advantage of being lighter. The SB600 also has more flashes from one set of batteries - 200 at maximum power compared to 150, that presumably just reflects its slightly lower maximum flash power.
Info taken from Nikon's website.

Quote:Besides which, there's not any vast difference between the two.

Just to confirm that from their specs, the difference in power is not huge - about half a stop (their guide numbers are 30 and 38).

The SB600 has the advantage of being lighter. The SB600 also has more flashes from one set of batteries - 200 at maximum power compared to 150, that presumably just reflects its slightly lower maximum flash power.

Agree with James (magicboy)... When I want to blast out light, I'll use my Metz 45CT-3 on AP. If I want to [i]control[/i] the light balance, I'll use my SB600. I find it more than enough to cover all my needs - and frankly? - I can't justify the significant price hike for the SB800.
Analyse your needs [i]carefully[/i] before committing is my advice. Power isn't everything when using portable, on-camera flash. (Even the built-in unit on the D200 is VERY useful at times)
HTH's...

Agree with James (magicboy)... When I want to blast out light, I'll use my Metz 45CT-3 on AP. If I want to control the light balance, I'll use my SB600. I find it more than enough to cover all my needs - and frankly? - I can't justify the significant price hike for the SB800.

Analyse your needs carefully before committing is my advice. Power isn't everything when using portable, on-camera flash. (Even the built-in unit on the D200 is VERY useful at times)

Thanks everyone...a lot of valuable info here.
I just wish I was knowledgable to understand it all.
Had you all been in agreement I would have opted for the SB-800 but on balance I intend buying the 600.
It doesn't sound like i'l regret it.
£128 from OSD....£230 from Jessops...what you gonna do...LOL.
Thanks all for your time and trouble.
.....Mike

Thanks everyone...a lot of valuable info here.
I just wish I was knowledgable to understand it all.
Had you all been in agreement I would have opted for the SB-800 but on balance I intend buying the 600.
It doesn't sound like i'l regret it.